Suction cleaner with adjustable brush



July 12, 1955 c. FRERE ErAL 2,712,669

sUcTIoN CLEANER WITH ADJUSTABLE BRUSH Filed Aug. 26, 1549 Inventors: Clarence Preve, a prank T. Grothoue,

Thei r- Attorney.

United States Patent sUCrroN CLEANER wrrrt ADIUSTABLE BRUSH Clarence Frere, Bridgeport, Conn., and Frank T. Grothonse, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 26, 1949, Serial No. 112,618

6 Ciaims. (Cl. 15-368) This invention relates to suction type tloor cleaners, and more particularly to a brush adjustment for a rotary brush positioned in the mouth of the cleaner nozzle.

An object of our invention is to provide a mounting for a rotatable brush withinthe mouth of a suction cleaner floor nozzle which permits adjustment of the brush position to compensate for wear of the brush bristles and to regulate the brushing action.

A further object of our invention is to provide a brush mounting and adjusting mechanism for the mouth o the nozzle of a oor cleaner permitting convenient adjustment of the brush position from a point external of the nozzle.

Another object of our invention is to provide an adjustment operable by the foot of the cleaner operator for positioning the brush with respect to the surface being cleaned, while the cleaner is in operation.

in accomplishment of the foregoing objectives, a feature of our invention consists 'm mounting a rotary brush within the mouth of a cleaner nozzle on a shaft eccentrically carried by the cleaner nozzle, with a drive external of the nozzle operating through an eccentric cap to raise and lower the shaft with respect to the surface being cleaned, thus concurrently raising or lowering the brush.

The features of our invention which we believe to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Our invention itself, however, both as to its organization and methods of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a iront elevation, partially in section, of a portion of the floor nozzle of a suction cleaner; Pig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional elevation illustrating details of this construction; Fig. 3 is a plan View of a portion of the lloor nozzle; Fig. 4 is an exploded view in perspective of one end of the rotary brush and brush mounting; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a modified form of our invention; and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the modication illustrated by Fig. 5.

ln Fig. l of the drawing, we have shown a portion of the nozzle 1 of a floor type suction cleaner. Since our invention relates particularly to the brush mounting and adjusting means for a floor cleaner, we have shown only that portion of the cleaner necessary for a clear understanding of our invention. lt is to be understood, of course, that this invention may be practiced with any type of floor cleaner which includes a oor suction nozzle and a motor driven rotary brush mounted in the mouth of the nozzle. in the particular embodiment illustrated by Fig. 1, a rotary brush 2, with sets of bristles 3 and ,4 attache,A to its outer surface, is driven from a motor shaft 5 by a iiexible belt 6 extending over the motor shaft and passing around a central pulley portion 7 on the brush 2. Therefore, when the motor (not shown) is operating, rotation of motor shaft 5 drives, through belt 6, the brush 2. Movement of the brush bristles loosens rice dirt for removal by the rapid motion of incoming air through the nozzle mouth 8. A rubber bumper 9, of any suitable form, extends along the ends and front of the nozzle to prevent marring of articles of furniture when the cleaner is in use. The right-hand end of the cleaner nozzle includes a depressed area 10 to permit projection above the surface of the nozzle of a portion of a serrated edge 1l on a brush adjustment knob 12. Brush adjustment lmob 12 also includes a numbered index portion 13 on its periphery, and so that the numbers may be readily viewed from above, a portion 14 of rubber bumper 9 is cut out, as shown by Fig. 3. These numbers provide the cleaner operator with a ready visual indi cation of the position of the rotary brush.

ln Fig. 2 further detail of the brush adjusting knob 12 is shown. An end wall, and in the present embodiment the right end, of nozzle 1 is apertured at 15 to receive knob 12, and once the knob is in place, a locking ring 16 receivable in an annular groove on the inside end of knob 12 retains it in position. Knob 12 is so mounted in this aperture 15 that it may be rotated from the serrated edge 11 formed on a knob flange 17. The frictional engagement between knob 12 and the nozzle 1 normally retains the knob in any position to which it is adjusted. However, it may be desirable to attach a suitable spring detent to nozzle 1 for engagement with serrated edge 11, and such a construction will be described later in connection with the alternate embodiment illustrated by Fins. 5 and 6. A stop pin 17a may be mounted on the outwardly extending flange 17 to limit the extent of rotational movement of the adjusting knob.

Brush adjusting knob 12 includes a central circular recess 18 on its inside end as Viewed in Fig. 2. This central recess is adapted to receive the head 19 of an eccentric cap 20. The head 19 of this eccentric cap includes a notch 21 at one point on its periphery for engagement with a tongue 22 secured within the recess 1S of the brush adjusting knob. Thus any rotation of the brush adjusting knob will also cause a like rotation of eccentric cap Ztl. The details of this construction are more readily apparent by an examination of Fig. 4. Referring again to Fig. 2, it may be noted that central recess 18 includes an outwardly beveled surface 23. This construction reduces the contact area between the head portion of eccentric cap 2i) and the brush adjusting knob, and as a result normal production tolerances permit a slight amount of movement between the eccentric cap and the knob. This aids in obtaining proper alignment of the bearings as will appear later. Eccentric cap 26 includes an eccentrically located aperture 24 to receive a brush Supporting shaft Z6. A drive pin 27 retains shaft 26 in position in the cap.

Referring to the left-hand end of the nozzle, as viewed in Fig. 2, a second eccentric cap 2S, similar in form to the eccentric cap Ztl, is rotatably supported with respect to the nozzle wall within a metal cup 29, which in turn is secured to the nozzle within a resilient bushing 30, of rubber or like material. This eccentric cap 28 likewise includes an eccentrically located aperture into which the other end of shaft 2e is secured by a drive pin 31. With this construction, rotation ot' brush adjusting knob 12 drives eccentric cap 26 through the engaging tongue 22, and rotation of cap 2i? rotates shaft 26 through the driving engagement with pin 27. This rotation of shaft 26 likewise rotates the eccentric cap 28. Since in both instances shaft 26 is located eccentrically within the eccentric caps, this rotation of the brush adjusting knob causes vertical displacement of the shaft with respect to the mouth of the nozzle.

For rotatably supporting the brush on shaft 26, we employ a pair of brush sleeves 32 and 33 at the rightand left-hand ends respectively of the brush, as shown by flanges 25 an g ning lit with the overhangiug portion of the respective locking rings.

embodiment of our invention. embodiment, brush adjustment is accomplished by rotal tion of a knob 4S having a serrated periphery 46. This l knob is aixed within an aperture 47 in one of the nozzle end walls and is retained in position by a suitable locking Fig. 2. A pair of antifriction bearings, each bearing having an inner race 34, an outer race 35, and a plurality of anti-friction balls 36, are mounted withrthe inner race of each bearing adjacentV an end of shaft 25 and the outer race in supporting relation with its corresponding brush supporting sleeve 32 or 33. To aid in elimination lof dirt accumulation in these antifriction bearings, eccentric cap 1 20 is provided with a bearing receiving well 37 and outwardly extending Harige portion 25. cap 2S includes a similar bearing receiving well 33 and flange 25a.

Likewise, eccentric Each of these wells has a sufficient diameter to receive the end portion of its brush supporting sleeve as it is mounted on its corresponding antifriction bearing. f The slight clearance between each sleeve and its corren spending eccentric cap permits free rotation while impeding movement of dust into the bearing itself, A spring f washer, such as 39 for the right-hand bearing and 40 for the left-hand bearing, aids in reducing end play of the rotary brush. The necessary strength and rigidity for the i, rotary brush may be provided by a cylindrical brush body member 42 having its ends secured to the brush bearing *y sleevesV 32 and 33.

While any type of brush structure may be employed in this application, we prefer to use strip brushes in which the bristles are mounted on a backing plate such as lil. These strips may be preformed with the desired shape. To retain each brush strip in position, locking rings 43 are employed at each end of the brush, and a set screw 44 passing through each locking ring and into its brush-supporting sleeve serves to lock these strips of bristles in As shown by Fig. 2, the outwardly extending 25a on the eccentric caps provide a runplace.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, we have shown an alternate ln accordance with this ring 48. Secured to the inside face of knob 45 is a spur gear 49 rotatable with the knob. Gear 49 drives a meshing gear 50, and gear Si! has secured to its inner face a sleeve 51. This sleeve is adapted to receive an eccentric bearing nut 52. A brush supporting shaft 53 has an outer end threaded, as shown in Fig. 6, and this threaded end portion is eccentrically located in the bearing nut 52.

. Tne other end of shaft 53 is similarly carried by an ecmounting-'on both ends or' shaft 53, this rotation results in a vertical displacement of the brush supporting shaft.V

Any suitable bearing structure may be employed to rotatably mount the brush 2 on supporting shaft 53, and a spring washer 54 at each end of the brush may be employed to prevent entrance of dust to the bearing structure.

'In both embodiments of our invention, it may be desirable to employ additional means to retain the brush adjusting knob in a set position rather than relying solely upon friction. In Pigs. 5 Vand 6, one form of a possible ratchet arrangement is illustrated. The nozzle wall may be appropriately recessed, as at 5S, to receive a spring 56. SpringV S5 is placed within this recess 55 to force a small bail 57 into engagement with 'the serrated periphery 45 of the brushv adjusting rnob. y the addition of this spring loaded detent, the probability of the brush adjusting knob being moved by vibration during operation of the cleaner is substantially eliminated. Y

From the foregoing, it is apparent .that we have provided al brush adjustment conveniently operated, either manually or by the toe of the user, since the brush adjusting knob includes a serrated portion extending above the outer surface of the nozzle. connection between the brush adjusting knob and the bearings supporting Vthe brush, a rotary movement of a small extent is suicient to change the position of the rotary brush with respect to the mouth of the nozzle. Therefore, as the bristles of the brush become worn, the user of the cleaner may readily readjust the brush position to obtain thedesired engagement between the bristles of the brush and the surface being cleaned. Also, the operator may at any time change the relative position of the brush with respect tothe floor nozzle in order to adapt the cleaner for different types of surfaces or instantly vary the vigor of the brush action.

vVl-rile the present invention has been described by reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that numerous modifications may be madev by those skilled in the art without actually departing from the invention. We, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the foregoing disclosure.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. ln suction cleaner of the type having a floor nozzle and a horizontally extending brush rotatably mounted within and between the ends of the iioor nozzle, adapted to be driven by a flexible belt, that improvement in means for adjusting the brush position vertically with respect to the nozzle mouth while the brush is being driven comprising, acap rotatably carried on one end of the brush for rotation with respect to Said brush on a horizontal axis, an outer cylindrical surface on said cap eccentric to the axis ot rotationv of said brush, an adjustment knob rotatably mounted on a horizontal axis in one end of said nozzle, a cylindrical outer face on said knob extending partially above the outer wall of said nozzle, and said knob having a socket therein adapted to receive and hold said cap, said knob being operatively connected to said cap whereby rotation of Said knob from outside the nozzle while the brush is ybeing driven, will raise or lower the axis of rotation of the brush by rotation of said cap.

2. ln a suction cleaner of the type having a floor nozzle and a power-driven rotary brush within the mouth of the floor nozzle, means for adjusting the position of the brush with respect to the nozzle mouth while theV brush is being driven, comprising, a shaft upon which the brush is rotatably supported, shaft-supporting caps eccentrically apertured, the ends of said shaft being fixed within the eccentric apertures of said caps, said shaft` supporting caps being rotatably/carried by said nozzle, and means extending externally of the nozzle for rotating said straft supporting caps to raise and lower the brush with respect to the door nozzle, said means for rotating said caps comprising a rotatable socket receiving and operatively connected to one ofV said caps and rotatable in said nozzle about a horizontal axis Vat one end of said nozzle, a knob with a cylindrical outer face rotatable about its axis at said end of the nozzle, said face extending partially outside of and above the top wally of said nozzle, and a mechanical coupling between said knob and said socket whereby rotation of said knob will rotate said socket and said caps.

3. ln a motor-driven suction cleaner having a oor nozzle and a rotary driven brush within the mouth of` floor nozzle, means for adjusting the position of the brush with'respect tothe nozzle mouth while the rush is beingdrivenr comprisinga cylindrical brushl adjusting knob rotatably positioned about a horizontal nozzle for rotation thereof, a cap carried by said knob, a second cap rotatably supported by the opposite end of the nozzle, shaft having` itsends each aliixedreccen- Through the eccentric Y trically to one of said caps, bearings on said shaft adjacent each end thereof, said brush being rotatably supported by said bearings from said shaft.

4. In a suction cleaner of the type having a floor nozzle and a power-driven rotary brush within the mouth of the tloor nozzle, a brush adjustment to control the brush position with respect to the nozzle mouth while the brush is being driven, said brush adjustment comprising a horizontal shaft upon which the brush is rotatably supported, shaft supporting members eccentrically apertured to receive each end of said shaft, means aixing said shaft to said supporting members, one of said supporting members being rotatably carried within the nozzle at one end thereof, a brush adjusting knob axed to said other supporting member and rotatable about a horizontal axis in said nozzle at the other end of the nozzle, said brush adjusting knob having a knurled surface extending outside and above the end of the nozzle for convenient rotation, and a resilient detent member in said nozzle engaging the knurled surface of said brush adjustment knob for restraining its rotary movement.

5. ln a suction cleaner of the type having a door nozzle and a horizontally extending rotary brush within the mouth of the floor nozzle adapted to be driven by a flexible belt, means for adjusting the brush position vertically with respect to the nozzle mouth While the brush is being driven, comprising a shaft extending axially through the brush and upon which the brush is rotatably supported on a horizontal axis, a pair of eccentrically apertured caps rotatably carried by the nozzle, the ends of said shaft being fixed Within the eccentric apertures of said caps, and foot operable means external of the nozzle to rotate said caps with respect to the nozzle, said foot operable means comprising a rotatable socket receiving and operatively connected to one of said caps and rotatable in said nozzle about a horizontal axis at one end of said nozzle, a knob with a cylindrical outer face rotatable about a horizontal axis at said end of the nozzle, said face extending at least partially outside of and above the top wall of said nozzle, and a mechanical coupling between said knob and said socket whereby rotation of said knob will rotate said socket and said caps.

6. In a suction cleaner of the type having a floor nozzle a rotary brush within the mouth of the oor nozzle, means for adjusting the position of the brush with respect to the nozzle mouth comprising a cylindrical, brush adjusting knob positioned in one end of said nozzle and rotatable about a horizontal axis, said knob being fitted in said nozzle so as to be movable relative thereto but to be frictionally held in any position to which moved, said knob including an outer surface extending externaily of and above said nozzle for rotation thereof, a cap carried by said knob, a second cap rotatably supported in the other end of said nozzle, a shaft having its ends secured to said caps eccentrically, said brush being rotatably supported on said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 1,302,192 Mason Apr. 29, 1919 1,483,972 Hoover Feb. 19, 1924 1,629,802 Lindgren May 24, 1927 1,856,136 Orr May 3, 1932 2,099,172 McCabe et al Nov. 16, 1937 2,192,397 Carlson Mar. 5, 1940 2,233,762 Ashbaugh Mar. 4, 1941 

